I would feel left out if I didn’t join in the Yahoo!-Terry Semel-Jerry Yang discussion, so here’s my two cents.

Search Marketing - Google vs. Yahoo Showdown
First, I’ll talk a bit about the search marketing battleground because that’s perceived as where Yahoo! (YHOO) is getting is head handed to them by Google (GOOG). I believe Yahoo’s Panama advertising platform has made good but slow progress since it’s launch a couple of months ago. While I was tempted to jump on the Yahoo wagon when Panama was finally launched (with a sigh of relief), the disappointment and negative comments from both advertisers and publishers on the DigitalPoint forums caused me to be very skeptical of Panama at the time. Advertisers were reported having a hard time even Read the rest of this entry »

As we head into the deep summer months, higher utility bills and possible blackouts will no doubt bring attention to the utility sector. Engineering and construction companies are experiencing not one, but two multi-year bull markets thanks to global growth as well as the imminent need to replace infrastructure in developed countries such as the U.S. Since Barron’s highlighted Foster Wheeler (FWLT), who constructs power plants, I want to bring attention to the power grid piece of the utility puzzle. My favorite name here is The ABB Group (ABB). Read the rest of this entry »

Still paying back loans for college after all these years? Maybe you think the taxes you pay for public schools just isn’t giving your children high quality education. Whether if it’s been ages since you’ve been in a classroom or are still in school, you should know Blackboard Inc. (BBBB) is moving education into the digital age, and maybe the only one successfully doing so. Blackboard’s licensed software targets both the academic and the commerce needs of colleges as well as grades K-12, allowing the whole educational experience to be conducted online. Although I first wrote about this stock last October at $27 and it has jumped 50% since then, this is a strong secular growth story that should be recognized and respected. While Blackboard reported a list of 3,462 clients at the end of 2006, there is somewhere around 87,000 schools in the U.S. and countless more schools around the globe, all of which are potential Blackboard customers.

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